a maritme district of British India, under the presidency of Madras, and lying between 17° 15' and 19° 3' N.Lat.; and 82° 24' and 84° E.Long. It is bounded on the N., N.W., and W., by the territory of Orissa; N.E. by the district of Guntoor; S.E. by the bay of Bengal; and S.W. by the district of Rajamandry. Area 4690 square Vizagapatam, the chief town of the above district, is situated on a spit of land formed between the mouth of a small river and the sea, in 17° 41' N. Lat.; and 83° 21' E. long. The fort contains a barracks, arsenal, hospital, and other public buildings; but its defences have been allowed to fall into decay. To the N. and W. of the fort is the native town, which contains many good streets and numerous well built houses, but is very much crowded. The climate is considered unhealthy for Europeans, who have often to remove to places more elevated and at a distance from the coast.

VLADIMIR or VLADIMIR, a government of European Russia, bounded on the N. by those of Jaroslav and Kostroma; E. by that of Nijni Novgorod; S. by those of Tambov and Riazan; and W. by those of Moscow and Tver. Length from E. to W., 212 miles; breadth 140; area 18,317 square miles. The surface consists of an undulating plain, interrupted in some places by low hills or the steep banks of the rivers. It has a general slope towards the N.E., and in this direction the principal rivers flow. These all belong to the basin of the Volga; and the largest are the Oka, which waters the S. and E. of the government and falls into the Volga, and its affluent the Klazma, which flows through the centre from the government of Moscow. The other rivers, about twenty in number, are of much smaller size; such as the Tesa, Kamanka, Unsha, Koloksha, &c. There are also many lakes; the largest of which are that of Pleschtschejev, and one called the Cow Lake, containing a floating island. The most important mineral productions of Vladimir are iron, alabaster, freestone, and potter's clay. The principal iron mines are at Murem; and at Vixa on the Oka in this government are the most extensive iron-works in Russia. The climate is on the whole temperate and healthy, but it is liable to great extremes, the summers being very hot and the winters very cold; while in spring and autumn the weather is variable. The rivers are usually frozen from November till March. In some parts the soil is not unfertile, consisting of a stiff clay or loam; but so large an extent of the surface is occupied by forests, heaths, morasses, and sandy tracts unfit for cultivation, that Vladimir is by no means an agricultural country, and does not produce enough corn for the home consumption. The extent of arable land in the government in 1849, was 4,449,398 acres, of meadows 758,238 acres, and of forests 5,443,408 acres. The principal crops are rye, barley, and oats; but wheat, millet, hemp, flax, and pease are also grown. Little attention is paid to the rearing of cattle, and neither the horses nor the sheep of the country are of good breeds. The number of horses in 1849 was 285,800, of horned cattle 342,314, of sheep 360,861, and of swine 11,530. Game is scarce; but bears, wolves, and lynxes abound; and the rivers are well supplied with fish, especially sturgeon and shad. The manufactures of the government are considerable, and in a flourishing condition. There were, in 1849, 317 manufactories, employing upwards of 78,000 work-people. Cotton goods are made chiefly at Shuja and Ivanova; and next in importance to them come woollen and linen fabrics, glass and crystal, earthenware, leather, &c. The trade consists chiefly of the exportation of manufactured goods, either down the Klazma and Oka, or overland to Moscow; and of the importation of corn, flax, and cotton twist. The government is divided into 13 circles. Pop. (1856) 1,121,720.